When Angels Fall
by Kurosu
Summary: Part 1/3. AU. The beginning of a journey for the sake of humanity: either the salvation of man or the destruction of man.


  
Yeah, Squaresoft owns _Final Fantasy VII_. This story is an AU, so there are possible OOC-ness.  
  
  
**~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~**  
  
  
The land used to be filled with fertile green and life so vibrant that made the Heavens watch in envy, but now, it laid in towers of flames. So hot that it was no longer the once warm Planet, but a living hell risen to the surface, where corpse upon corpse became dark ashes in a world where the living and the dead did not matter. Life slowly withered away, leaving only death and destruction in one's vision.  
  
  
_The end of the world..._  
  
  
A figure stood atop the highest cliff overlooking the dying land. His face was a hard-stoned mask of emptiness, but his eyes of green flickered with life, watching the world before him fall to its doom. His long hair and black cloak danced in the wind while he stood poised with both hands placed on the end of the long blade embedded in the ground. This was the image of grand victor, having single-handedly destroyed a planet, but no mortal could have such power to committ a treacherous act. This being standing high above the world was not a mortal... He was...  
  
  
_Sephiroth..._  
  
  
A single light sparkled in the darkness and became a droplet of water, falling... falling until a splash echoed from the ripping of the waters. Deep in the water, the body of a young woman, curled into a fetal position, drifted in a comatose state. There was no sign that she was alive yet no proof that she was dead. Her long hair floated around her motionless body, giving some sort of life to her form.  
  
  
_Sephiroth..._  
  
  
Suddenly, her body began to jerk, and air bubbles spewed from her mouth.  
  
  
_Aeris... Tell me..._  
  
  
She began to struggle against her environment for survival.  
  
  
_When angels fall..._  
  
  
Her eyes burst opened, revealing shocking orbs of emerald green.  
  
  
_... what do they become?_  
  
  
She curled forward, hugging herself, as the pain seared through her body, forcing its way to her back. In a flash of blinding light, two large wings of pure, white feathers arched from her back. Flaring to life, the pair of wings pushed against the thick waters without any trouble and propelled her upwards from her watery surroundings to the surface, where the world was beckoning her awakening.  
  
  
  
**When Angels Fall...**  
  
written by K-chan  
  
  
  
She sat solemnly, hugging her knees against her chest, as the wagon hit another bump on the road. She felt the uncomfortableness of the ride, hitchhiking on the back of a chocobo wagon, but it was transportation after all. She remained quiet and in deep thought, unlike her present companion who was an easily irritated teenager. "Geeze, who can get any sleep back here," the girl complained, trying to get some rest, but because of the bumpy ride, she had to stare at the blue sky instead. It wasn't the best way to travel, nor had the best accommodations with only hay to lie on, but it was free.  
  
Annoyed with the hay straws poking at her skin, Yuffie sat up in a huff and turned to the silent woman next to her, "I didn't think you'd be the type to WANT to go into Midgar." She looked away, even more annoyed than before because she was trying to be nice (and not bored), striking up a conversation with a stranger. "Oh who cares about you people," she said, "I sure don't. All I ever need are my precious materias."  
  
"Is that so?" Aeris finally spoke with the corners of her lips curled up into a slight smile. "You were born into the world so that you could become a materia thief?"  
  
She puffed up her cheeks in anger at the insult, "MATERIA HUNTER!! I'm a HUNTER!"  
  
"Either way, is that what makes you happy?" she asked, still looking straight ahead. Her mysterious eyes glazed over at the beauty of the green landscapes around her, flourishing with life rather than the dark destruction from her visions. She would've slept forever, dreaming of a peaceful world, if it weren't for those visions that triggered her awakening. "Are you happy?" she altered her question, "To live in such an imperfect world... being imperfect yourself? Why do you continue to live?"  
  
Yuffie looked at her strangely, "Geeze, you're just filled with questions, huh? And weird ones at that. Why shouldn't I live? Why shouldn't I be happy?! So I'm happy to be alive, aren't most people? Aren't you? Why should it matter what makes us happy. If we are, then we are. If we have a reason, then great! If we don't, then who cares! Life, as I see it, is freedom!" She leaned back, staring up at the sky with a smile, "Yep, to be a free spirit to wander the world."  
  
"A free spirit?" Aeris repeated quietly, glancing at the girl.  
  
"We're here!" announced the driver. He pulled the chocobos to a stop not too far from the city gates. Yuffie immediately jumped off the wagon while Aeris stared upwards high into the sky where the lofty building towered over them. She climbed off and thanked the man for giving her a lift. He just shook his head and said, "You girls take care now. Midgar's not a safe place for anyone." After he was gone from sight, she turned back to Yuffie, who was already making her way to the gates, and followed her. She walked at a gradual pace that eventually caught up to the girl.  
  
"I didn't expect you to be coming to Midgar too," she said.  
  
"Is Midgar not a very safe place?" Aeris asked.  
  
"You don't know? Where have you been?! Living under a rock?!" she said flabbergasted.  
  
"No, under water," she replied naturally.  
  
Yuffie slowly backed away from her, thinking she was some crazy woman, but explained nonetheless, "Everyone on the Planet knows that Midgar's the richest but also poorest, best but also worst place in the world to live. It's like Heaven and Hell."  
  
"Heaven and Hell?" she repeated, stopping in her trek and looking surprised at the comparison.  
  
Yuffie had already passed through the gates even if there were men on guard, eying their every movement. She just ignored them and continued walking with Aeris curiously behind her. "Yeah. See that huge plate up there," she pointed to the gigantic piece of metal extending high above their heads, "That is heaven." The materia 'hunter' turned around to Aeris, looking at her dead seriously and even her firm voice spoke that, "And we... are in hell." Suddenly, she bent over in laughter, seeing Aeris's face as grave as hers, but she only said it in such a way for the drama, and that dramatic atmosphere did not suit her at all and became a laughing matter -- a way she could push the bothersome reality from her mind. "Haha, but that's the unfairness of life. Anyway, I gotta go! See ya around!" she shouted, running off.  
  
"'The unfairness of life'," she whispered without a single expression as she watched the girl disappear around the corner. Her feet slowly began to move forward, and her eyes scanned the area, absorbing the dismal lifestyle that fell upon those below the plate. It was certainly a different feeling compared to outside of Midgar, so trapped and helpless. The air was thick and heavy, threatening to drown her soul. This place was a glimpse of hell, a potential one if it did not change, but it was not for her to voice her thoughts nor change what had been already set for the world. She only had one goal given to her, and that was to prevent Sephiroth to bring it to utter annihilation, which was never supposed to happen.  
  
  
_I'm tired..._  
  
  
_What are you saying?_  
  
  
_I'm tired... Tired of watching their pitiful lives... I want to change it... To change their destinies..._  
  
  
_Sephiroth..._  
  
  
_I want to change OUR destinies..._  
  
  
"You make it sound so simple, Sephiroth," she said, shaking her, and then continued on her way towards an unknown path that would evenutally end up with their first and final encounter on the Planet, a battle for either the salvation of man or the destruction of man.  
  
  
  
A rundown church sat in the middle of Sector Five, but from the light beaming through the cracked shutters, the place was still in use. In a time when sorrow and darkness could easily break a man, a tiny spark of hope was all one needed to move on. One's faith could never be taken away, even until death. Despite the shabby appearance of the church, this was the safe haven of the faithful ones from the despair set in the slums. Warmth radiated from within, where gentle prayers were whisk away into the wind in hopes of reaching the Heavens above or give hope to those in need of it.  
  
Inside in the church, at the third pew, a young woman with long, dark-brown hair knelt in silence, praying desparately in her mind for the recovery of a loved one along with another, of a need to see and care for him. Circumstances had arisen, and she hadn't been able to see him for a month ever since the accident. All she could do was come to the church and pray to the Lord above to answer her requests, but she hasn't received a sign yet. Perhaps it was hopeless, but this was all she had left to hold on to.  
  
Ending her prayers with the sign of the cross and a soft amen, she opened her beautiful yet sad, garnet eyes. Her heart was heavy with so many thoughts and worries, from haunting memories to a fearful future. Every inch of her body wanted to break down and cry, but her mind wouldn't let her because she had to be strong. From the death of her mother to the most recent, tragic event of all, she continued to stay strong, for herself and those around her.  
  
With both elbows perched on the back of the second pew, her hands were still clasped together as she rested her forehead against it. A solemn sigh escaped her lips, letting her body resolve to the hopelessness.  
  
"You shouldn't," came a voice that jerked up her head. It sounded as if someone had spoken directly to her mind, or perhaps it was the sign, or voice she had sought for many weeks. "You shouldn't lose faith."  
  
Tifa stood up and slowly looked around the small church with the intense, dramatic air hovering around her. From her right side, she circled her view 360 degrees but found no one in sight. She was certain she had been alone for the past hour or so. She paused and drowned herself in her thoughts, wondering about the mysterious voice. She couldn't be going crazy, but the voice was so real. Maybe the stress was getting to her, and she just wanted comforting words, but although those weren't the words she expected, the tone of the voice was gentle and motherly-like that appeased her a bit.  
  
A pair of emerald eyes turned away from the front altar to the young woman's puzzling profile. "I'm right here," Aeris said.  
  
Tifa turned her head to the speaker, gasping at the stranger's sudden appearance as if she appeared from thin air. It was eerie at first, but when she had a better look at the seated brunette at the other end of the pew, she sat down herself and began to wonder why the woman had said those words to her. And more importantly, were those words true?  
  
"I can tell from your eyes you've had a hard life," Aeris said, "and many others have been, or are in your shoes, but the only difference between you and them... is your faith and hope in the future. But... even that in you is dying..."  
  
"No! I come here every day and pray!" she shouted, "You don't even know me! You don't know what I've gone through!" She was denying every word the woman was telling her, but somehow deep inside her, she knew they were as true as her own existence. The hope that tomorrow would be better had worn out over the years, and the faith was tiring her heart out. "Oh Cloud," she whispered with tears slowly falling from her beautiful eyes onto her lap. "I just want to see him... to care for him... He's the only one left from my childhood..."  
  
Aeris gazed at the crying woman with gentle eyes and then sat down next to her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. Only minutes ago, she had walked by the rundown church, sensing a deep emotion of frustration and confusion -- a lost soul who needed to be guided back to the light again, and it was on impulse that took Aeris to the young woman's side, bringing comfort and hopefully her faith back to her. Like the church that symbolized a tiny hope for the world, this woman with her faith would represent a single hope for mankind.  
  
  
  
Away in Sector Seven of Midgar was a bar towards the eastern edge that attracted many customers at the late hour, despite the eternal darkness that loomed over them because of the plate. 'Seventh Heaven' was a well-known establishment in the area, even next to the bustling markets of Wall Street in Sector Six, but that night seemed empty like an infamous haunted house. Not a single client was present, but that did not bother the large, dark-skinned man behind the counter. He was more worried about another person not being back yet.  
  
Barret tried to busy himself with cleaning the already cleaned glasses and the sparkling, tidy counter for the upteenth time, and at times he would either steal glances at the door way or the clock on the wall. "Damn, it's almost two hours," he grumbled. He threw the towel to the side and pushed through the doors from the bar counter, about to leave the place altogether.  
  
He suddenly jumped back when the entrance doors flung open, practically hitting his face if he didn't have quick reflexes. At the sight of Tifa, he let out a sigh of relief, "Dammit, Tifa! What kept ya?! I was about to go look for ya!"  
  
She smiled slightly, knowing that her friend was truly worried about her even though he was never good with expressing his feelings. "I'm sorry, Barret, but I just needed more time to myself... And thank you." She then noticed his eyes were scrutinizing the woman next to her, "This is Aeris. I met her at the church... and she really helped me out."  
  
Barret wanted to questioned what happened but decided he would ask Tifa herself at a more convenient time. He nodded to Aeris, acknowledging her, "Any friend of Tifa's is a friend of mine. Barret Wallace."  
  
"My pleasure to meet you, Mister Wallace," Aeris said politely with a slight nod of recognition.  
  
He seemed to fidget at the formality, which Tifa noticed with a raised eyebrow. "Just Barret." She nodded. "Come in then," he ordered gruffly after realizing the guest was still standing and gestured her towards a stool, "What'll you have? It's on the house."  
  
"Umm, water is fine."  
  
When Barret looked at Aeris strangely because of her answer, Tifa laughed, for once freely, "Oh Barret, can't you tell Aeris isn't the type to be in places like ours? Of course, she'll want water!"  
  
"I hope that isn't a problem," the green-eyed woman inquired without sarcasm or malice to her tone, just pure innocence.  
  
"Naah, business's been slow today," he commented, reaching for a clean glass (the one he had been cleaning earlier).  
  
"I can see that," Tifa rolled her eyes, getting into the back kitchen as Aeris made herself acquainted with the establishment setting. "Well, I'm gonna make some pasta if you guys are hungry?"  
  
"Great!" Barret exclaimed, "Biggs and them won't be back till later tonight."  
  
"How 'bout you, Aeris?"  
  
"Me?" she questioned, accepting the glass of water graciously from Barret, "No... I'm fine, really."  
  
"C'mon! I insist! My cooking's not that bad."  
  
Aeris thought for a bit. It wasn't that she didn't want to eat a stranger's cooking, but consumption of food didn't matter to her because she wasn't human. The glass of water didn't matter either, but she was being polite at the sudden offer. Maybe accepting this wouldn't hurt. "All right," she gave in.  
  
"Wonderful! It's good to have company over with what's been going on," Tifa said, ending on a slightly sad note.  
  
"Don't think about it, Tifa," Barret advised, pouring himself some beer. He turned to Aeris, striking up conversation, "So, have you lived in Midgar long?"  
  
She shook her head, "No, I just arrived today."  
  
"Visiting family, huh?"  
  
"Well..." She was hesitant in her words because it was partly true, but Tifa took it the wrong way and admonished Barret for being nosy. "It's all right. I'm looking for someone... by the name of Sephiroth. Have you heard of him? Do you know where I can find him?"  
  
He took a gulp of beer and then sat the glass down, thinking, "Sephiroth, huh? Can't say I've heard of that name."  
  
"Midgar is a big city," Tifa added with chopping noises in the background, followed by boiling water.  
  
Aeris was quiet for a moment, recalling the image of that lofty building above the plate. She had sensed a familiar energy from it earlier. She looked up and said, "That tower... above the plate..."  
  
"Ya mean, the damn Shinra building."  
  
She nodded, "I want to go there." The bar was silent as well as the kitchen, and Tifa appeared in the doorway, staring at Aeris with a dropped jaw. "I have to go there... I think he's there. Sephiroth."  
  
Tifa looked away painfully, "It'll be hard... No one can get in there. There security and technology are top-notch, only Shinra employees are able to move about freely. Even that, some are restricted to their floors and no higher." She put a hand to her head, closing her eyes, as if a headache was coming, "I tried getting through... to see Cloud, but they would deny me every time."  
  
"We'll think of something, Tifa," Barret said, putting a hand on her shoulder.  
  
Aeris stood up and said, "If you take me there, I'll get you in." Of course, her simple deal only received appalled stares, like someone new to Midgar would know anything about the most powerful, wealthiest company on the Planet, but from her radiant eyes, they knew she was serious about what she had said. And somehow, they felt confident that they would succeed.  
  
  
  
After a quick and thought-provoking dinner, Tifa and Barret took Aeris on a train ride that would take them up to the giant plate that separated two different worlds. For the first time, the green-eyed woman was able to see the obvious contrast of the life above the slums. So clean and attractive, it was filled with glamour and sophistication that only the people at the top could afford and ravish upon, and she understood why her first acquaitance (Yuffie) had made a comparison of Midgar to that of 'Heaven and Hell'.  
  
Aeris observed the unfamiliar sight in quiet awe. Something inside of her seemed to make her jump into uncertainty, but when she placed a hand on her chest, where her beating heart was, it was only that gentle sound against her chest that she felt. She was abruptly pulled aside by Tifa to avoid the horse-drawn carriage with a refined couple riding romantically into the night.  
  
"Careful now," the barmaid warned and turned her attention back to Barret. He gestured his thumb towards a dark alley, and she and Aeris followed him there. As they walked down the long pathway with Barret leading, Tifa glanced over her shoulders to Aeris, who wasn't missing a beat in her trail behind them. The buxom brunetted wanted to say something but was hesitant in her manner. She looked ahead, deciding to keep shut until they reached the Shinra building.  
  
Aeris looked at Tifa's back and knew it must be said, "What did you want to ask me, Tifa?"  
  
Tifa jumped in surprise but resumed walking. It was frightening her on how Aeris could pick the right moment to speak, and the mysterious woman seemed to know what she was thinking. She hesitated for a few seconds and then said, "Well, I was just wondering on how we would get in." Aeris nodded, but it didn't matter because Tifa's back was still facing her. "Do you know someone in Shinra Company?"  
  
"I don't know anyone, but in getting inside the building... please leave that to me."  
  
Tifa was about to turn around to her, but Barret announced, "We're here!" The three emerged from the alley and reached an open space with lit lamp posts along the sides of the steps leading up to the building's front entrance. Standing off to one side, they observed through the walls of glass at the busy lobby and well guarded soldiers outside and inside then entrance. "So what's the plan?" the large man asked the women.  
  
"We'll be able to get in fine," Tifa began, "but we won't be able to go any farther than the reception desk. Everyone checks in there, and without proper information, they won't let us go any farther. Anyone requesting to go above floor 50 has to have confirmation from the high officials above. That's the only thing that stops me every time!" She threw her hands into the air as an indication of her exasperation with dealing with those people. "I don't know what floor Cloud's on, but it's probably somewhere up there."  
  
"Damn them!" Barret cursed.  
  
"It would be better if I take only one of you inside," Aeris piped in.  
  
Barret took one look at a calm Tifa and then completely refused, "It's too dangerous for women!"  
  
"But Barret," the sensible barmaid insisted, "the less people, the better!"  
  
"No! I don't like it!"  
  
"No one's asking you to like it," she retorted breathlessly, "You stay here then." It wasn't like Barret's voice mattered because Tifa had already made her decision. She turned away from him with her head lowered slightly, whispering, "I just want to see him... make sure he's all right, you know."  
  
"Fine," the man grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest, "but if anythin' goes wrong, you get outta there right away. Ya got that? I don't need another one of ya in Shinra's hold."  
  
Tifa looked back at him with a smile and saluted him like a soldier, "You got it, chief!" Barret took his hand and ruffled her hair in a teasing way that put a faint smile on Aeris's lips. It was a touching sight, making her heart feel warm and light. These creatures of the earthly world were interesting and unique indeed. They were imperfect, but they were able to live with their faults and learn from, making their own kind special. Not even of the same blood, they still live in harmony as a family did, and the bonds were perhaps even stronger and more closer than even the tightest of families.  
  
Aeris suddenly felt a surge of energy in her mind and jerked a bit, unnoticed by her companions. She gazed up at the building top, senseing a familiar energy radiating from the lofty point. Was it really him? Was Sephiroth waiting for her up there? It had to be him, right? Why should she doubt when no other possibilities existed? And how could she even doubt herself? It was practically doubting her existence and God when He was the very one who created her and Sephiroth.  
  
Barret handed a PHS to Tifa and said, "It anything happens, get yourselves outta there fast. Ya hear me?"  
  
She smiled at the large man's motherly care, "Of course." She gave him a quick hug and then walked over to Aeris, "Let's go." The two women headed towards the building while Barret watched them, helpless as to stop them when their minds were set on going. All he could do was support them from where he was, but perhaps he could do more than that. He nodded to himself, finalizing his thoughts on getting with this matter. He had feeling it was going to be a long night.  
  
  
"You again?" said one of the many guards posted outside the Shinra building. He smirked, leering his eager eyes at Tifa, "And you brought a friend this time."  
  
Tifa gave him a disgusted look and continued towards the building with Aeris in tow. The latter stared at him with a blank expression, but her eyes seemed to pierce his soul, causing him to feel uneasy. Soon, the outside world was forgotten, and Aeris turned her attention to the vitality within the confined structure -- a city within a city. She understood why it was so difficult for Tifa to progress any further. Such a place would have top-notch security.  
  
After looking around for a bit, Aeris grabbed Tifa's arm and pulled her to the side. "How do we go up?" she asked.  
  
The barmaid gave her friend a strange look and then pointed over to the elevators that were well guarded, "Over there."  
  
"All right. Take my hand, and don't let go." Aeris extended her hand to Tifa, who was looking at it hesitantly. "Trust me," she told her. There was something in those green eyes that Tifa found mesmerizing, and soon, all doubt she had before were gone. She nodded and took hold of Aeris's hand. Together, they made their way towards the elevators. From what Tifa observed, she was amazed that no one was stopping them, as if they were invisible to the eye. They were standing in front of the elevators now, but neither of the guards standing there noticed them.  
  
Aeris nodded to her, and she pressed a button for the elevator door to open. The doors opened and the two women stepped in quickly, and the guards finally noticed something strange when no one exited the elevator. They looked inside but found it empty and shrugged it aside, watching doors close.  
  
The garnet-eyed woman stood there, trying to absorb the events that just occurred. She felt Aeris released her hand, and the said woman closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She didn't understand what had happened, but Aeris wasn't like any normal person she had met. She looked up at the floor numbers, and they were actually ascending. Tifa smiled, thinking she would be able to see her friend now, but there were a few more obstacles they had to pass. "This elevator will only take us to the 60th floor," she informed her companion, "From there, there is another set of elevators that goes up to the rest of the floors."  
  
"Interesting," she said quietly with her eyes still closed.  
  
Tifa nodded, "The SOLDIER's floor is the 64th one." She paused and looked a bit worried and uncertain. "Hopefully Cloud is there."  
  
Aeris was soon wandering in her thoughts, and Tifa's voice was fading in the distance. She felt herself floating in an endless void of darkness. Images of places in Midgar began to drift by her, followed by Yuffie's figure running off, Barret's rough laughter, and Tifa's hopeful smile. It was strange seeing those images like a sleeping sensation finally awaken within her body, a body that appeared human in every aspect, but deep inside rested a power she had been blessed with.  
  
She placed a hand over her chest, where the human heart would be, and a wave of unexplanable nostalgia overwhelmed her senses. Since the beginning of time, her destiny had been written, so that she and Sephiroth and the Planet would be born together by the Lord's hands. The two of them were far superior than any creature of the Planet, but they lacked the core of what it was to be human: emotions. They were plain dolls watching the world below their eyes pass them by, and in a sense, they could be called 'prototypes of mankind' because humans were created afterwards.  
  
  
_Do you hear that?_  
  
  
_What is it, Sephiroth?_  
  
  
_That sound... Right there... Mortals have them._  
  
  
_They call it..._  
  
  
_A heart... Emotions are born there. It is their weakness, their flaw._  
  
_But we are different. We are perfection._  
  
  
"Are we really that different from them?" she whispered.  
  
"Aeris?" Tifa called, placing a hand on the woman's shoulder that snapped her from her dazed thoughts, "What are you talking about? Are you all right?"  
  
She blinked for a few moments and stared at her hands. "I'm... fine," she said calmly as if nothing had disrupted her current state. Though Tifa had a feeling Aeris was hiding something, she decided not to pursue the subject any further -- at least not where they at the moment.  
  
The elevator bell rang, indicating their stop on the 60th floor. When the doors opened, they were faced with several employees who were ready to head home for the night. The crowd stepped aside to let the two women off before entering the compartment. Their thoughts were a night's rest instead of the strangeness of receiving visitors on the upper floors at that current time.  
  
Aeris turned to Tifa and asked, "Do you know where the next elevators are?"  
  
She shook her head in reply, "I don't know anything else about this part of the building. I've only heard a few things from Cloud."  
  
The only thing they could do right now was wander around and search for it, and hopefully they wouldn't run into anyone with any questions about them. "Your friend, Cloud," Aeris began, "What happened to him? Why is he in here?"  
  
Tifa was quiet for a moment, thinking that Aeris had the right to know since she was helping her and all, and there wasn't anything wrong in telling her about Cloud. "Cloud is a member of SOLDIER. He's been with them for almost three years now."  
  
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but could you tell me more about SOLDIER?"  
  
"Oh. Okay," she said, glancing over at the woman in pink. It was strange for someone not to know of SOLDIER since the group was dispatched all over the Planet, even in the most remote regions. "Well, SOLDIER is a military group that was started and controlled by Shinra Inc. Sort of like a personal army. They're very powerful and have a dangerous reputation, so people stay away from them."  
  
"I see... So people live in fear of Shinra..."  
  
"Yeah," Tifa scowled, "But someday... that'll all change." Aeris nodded. "Oh, and Cloud. A month ago he was sent away with a group of SOLDIERs to Nibelheim... our hometown." She stopped talking and walking and hung her head down, trembling with anger.  
  
"Tifa..."  
  
"It's all Shinra's fault," she seethed, "They're destroying the Planet with their mako reactors, and now Nibelheim is in ruins... and Cloud... he's somewhere in here, and I don't even if he's still alive or dead." She shook her head, trying to hold back the tears, "I don't know why SOLDIER was sent there, but I think it had to do with the mako reactor there... in the mines.  
  
They found something weird, and the next thing I heard was the town was destroyed from some mysterious explosion. Everything within a 20-mile radius of the town was in flames. So many deaths and casualties... My parents, my friends... they're all gone..."  
  
Aeris went over to the woman and embraced her, wondering about the explosion. She had some sort of idea what had caused it but decided she would have to look into it further. For now, she had help Tifa find Cloud and then search for Sephiroth. "Let's go find Cloud," she said calmly. Tifa nodded and dried her eyes, but Aeris suddenly felt paralyzed, staring wide-eyed at the empty space ahead of her.  
  
"Aeris, what's wrong?" Tifa asked in alarm.  
  
She could feel herself losing control because she was so close to him, "Sephiroth..."  
  
"What? Is he here?"  
  
"He's very close... I can feel him..." After a tense moment, Aeris was able to find some control again, "But we have to hurry." They continued searching for the elevators and eventually found the staircase, which was a safer routed compared to the high security of the elevators. They climbed the stairs until they reached the 64th floor, where most of the SOLDIER officials resided. The infirmary was nearby, so they didn't have to go too far.  
  
Tifa rushed through the doors, calling Cloud's name, while Aeris stopped, sensing something out of place. "There's a faint trace of him here," she mumbled.  
  
"Cloud?! Cloud, are you here?!"  
  
"WHO ARE YOU?!" demanded a soldier, getting ready to aim his gun at Tifa, but the young woman sped towards him and punched him hard in the stomach, knocking him unconscious.  
  
She turned around and saw a doctor quivering in his spot while the nurses screamed. With her Seal Materia, she quickly casted, "SLEEPEL!" They immediately collapsed to the ground with a soft snore.  
  
"Did you find him?" Aeris inquired, entering the infirmary, and saw Tifa looking about. She thought for a moment and gazed upwards at the ceiling, wondering about the floors above them. Something told her that they had to go up further. Something was waiting up there. "Tifa, we have to go up," she stated.  
  
The barmaid nodded, "We've got no choice." Suddenly the whole building was filled with flashing red lights and loud alarms blaring in their ears. The two looked around and found the soldier that Tifa had knocked over by the alarms, and he had triggered it. They quickly hurried out of the room and rushed to the stairs. They weren't taking any chances with the elevators, even though it would be faster, but there was a possibility it would lock down on them.  
  
Aeris was practically flying up the steps with an amazed Tifa right behind. She could feel they were getting close to him. His presence was getting stronger by the second. If she followed his energy, it would take her right to him. Aeris had disppeared through the doorway as Tifa slowed down a bit, catching the floor number they were on: 69th floor.  
  
Tifa followed Aeris, who was turning the corner, and running down the hallway took them pass the elevators, but they kept going straight ahead to the western area of the floor. Aeris suddenly stopped, staring at the huge laboratory before her, and Tifa had to halt quickly before colliding against her friend and gaped at the most high-tech room she had ever seen. When her eyes fell to the center of the room, she gasped, "CLOUD!" She ran to the glass container, where a young man -- clothed only in a pair of shorts -- was suspended in some unknown liquid. She pressed against the glass in tears, wondering if he was still alive, even though every inch of her mind was telling her that.  
  
Aeris slowly walked up behind Tifa, staring at the young man. "It can't be," she whispered. The trail of Sephiroth's energy ended here; this was the strongest point where it all converged. It couldn't be this man; he wasn't Sephiroth. She came all the way to Midgar for HIM? It couldn't be... but perhaps he was connected to Sephiroth... somehow.  
  
Tifa looked around for some sort of control panel, "How do we get him out of there?"  
  
"I don't think so!" growled a voice. The two of them turned around and saw a menacing man slouched forward on the upper ground. He narrowed his eyes to slits at them, "Who are you?! And how dare you trespass into my laboratory!"  
  
"You're... you're Dr. Hojo!" Tifa snarled, "What have you done to Cloud?!"  
  
He laughed, "Can't you see he's my experiment!"  
  
"Let him go this instant, you sick bastard!"  
  
"You're here to save him, huh?" he raised an eyebrow, and his eyes wandered over to a calm Aeris. He frowned at her, sensing something different about her. From the experiments on Cloud, he had picked up some powerful energy waves, something similar to what the green-eyed woman was emitting. "I don't think so. I advise you not to do anything rash. It will only put you and your friends in worse position."  
  
Aeris stepped forward, somewhat challenging Hojo's words, but she was after information at the moment. "What do you want from him?" she asked, gesturing her towards Cloud's unconscious figure. "He possesses something you want..."  
  
"Yes... but perhaps YOU would have a better answer for me," he smirked.  
  
"From what I know, Cloud survived the incident in Nibelheim. You want to find out why and how, but you haven't been able to find out because he has been in a coma since then."  
  
"You are correct. After the explosion, the Nibelheim mines have been inaccessible."  
  
"You want to know what was discovered in those mines." Aeris thought for a bit, concluding that in the mines was the answer she had been seeking: Sephiroth. That power of destruction was definitely in his capability, but why hasn't he made a move yet. Was he still in the mines, or was he wandering freely on the Planet? The only way she would find out was to go there -- go to Nibelheim.  
  
They could here reinforcements coming down the hallway for them. Aeris backed towards Tifa, whispering to her, "We have to get out here."  
  
"I know," Tifa mumbled, wondering how she could get Cloud out of the container, and then the idea hit her. She would have to use her limit break. It was the best solution at that point. She gathered her strength together and ran towards the glass container, "BEAT RUSH!" With a series of punches and kicks, she shattered the glass, and the liquid spilled onto the floor as Cloud's body fell to the ground.  
  
Tifa ran over to him and supported his body while Aeris held up his other side, but it was too late when the laboratory was blocked off by security. "Damn," Tifa cursed, "There's no way out now."  
  
"Don't give up so soon," Aeris told her, "Hold on tight." Tifa was about to say something, but the sudden gush of light and power filled the room where the trio were standing, forcing it into a column that shot through the ceiling. Everyone was blinded by the light and blown to the ground by the power, and by the time they recovered from the attack, the intruders were gone. And only a neat hole was left on the ceiling.  
  
Hojo narrowed his eyes at the damaged. "That girl... I WANT THEM CAPTURED ALIVE!" he ordered the soldiers, and they hurried off to fulfill their duties.  
  
  
At the sound of the alarm, an old, bald man had quickly defended himself by loading a gun he had in his desk drawer. If any intruders ever made it to the top floor, they would be greeted by a bullet to the head. He was ready for them, but what he wasn't ready for was the sudden blast of power through the floor and straight through the ceiling to and vanished into the night sky. He had never seen such power and trembled at the sight of it. His hands were shaking so bad that the gun slipped out of his grasp to the floor. He ducked down behind his desk as he made out figures in the distance.  
  
Aeris and Tifa knelt on the floor as they careful laid Cloud down. The former checked over the man's body and found no injuries. "He'll be fine," she eased a worried Tifa, "Hojo must have healed him."  
  
"When will he wake up?" she asked.  
  
"I don't know..."  
  
Tifa blinked at the woman, knowing that Aeris could do something about his current condition, and looked at the floor, "Aeris, if there's a way, then please... please wake him up. We've come this far..."  
  
"All right." She crawled over to where Cloud's head was and leaned over him, placing both of her hands to the sides of his face. Tifa watched closely, holding in her breath at the intimacy, while Aeris's face slowly descended down to his face until their noses almost touched. A warm, white light radiated from Aeris's body because she was summoning her powers. She parted her mouth slightly, releasing a glistening mist of energy that drifted over his face and eventually body. He began to glow as the mist absorbed into his body.  
  
During this time, the man hiding behind the desk found his gun and took this chance to kill them before any harm would come to him. He revealed himself from his hiding place, pointing the gun at them, "STAY RIGHT THERE!"  
  
Tifa gasped, "Shinra!"  
  
On impulse, he pulled the trigger, firing at Aeris's back, but Tifa raised her hand, summoning, "FIRE!" The whirl of fire collided with the bullet and exploded. She casted several more fireballs at every bullet shot as she run forward and kicked the gun from Shinra's hold. She twirled around and kicked the man himself to the wall, knocking him unconscious. She checked to see if Shinra was really knocked out, and after she confirmed it, she rejoined Aeris and Cloud.  
  
Meanwhile, the life energy was settling into him when Cloud's eyes slowly opened just as Aeris withdrew herself from him. He still dazed from his month-long sleep that he could've sworn been forever, and now that he was waking up from it, he felt like he was still dreaming or maybe he had died and gone to heaven, being greeted by a green-eyed angel.  
  
"Cloud?" Tifa called and leaned over to his face, "Are you all right?"  
  
His blurry vision soon focused on the familiar face, and he whispered uncertainly, "Tifa?" He reached out to her happy, teary face and tried to sit up with her help. "What are you doing here? And where am I?"  
  
"It's a long story," she sighed, "but first we have to get out of here." They both stood up, and Tifa looked at Aeris, who was already heading towards the large desk in the center of the room. "Aeris?"  
  
She pointed at the wall of windows that opened to a wide balcony and turned partially to them, "We'll leave this way."  
  
"You know, we're on the top floor of Shinra now," she stated.  
  
"You know, we're on the top floor of Shinra now," she stated and turned to Cloud, "This is Aeris. She helped me save you." Cloud nodded in the woman's direction, appreciating her kindness and aid.  
  
"Don't worry about it," she smiled mysteriously, "It's our only way." It was the only way because soldiers were already on their way up to the 70th floor.  
  
"You mean, our only way is jumping to our deaths?" Cloud questioned, not too happy with the idea when he barely escaped death the last time. They had no choice and hurried after Aeris because the soldiers were assembling from the stairway and elevator to the halfway point of the room. They lined up neatly in rows, aiming their weapons at the three out on the balcony.  
  
The night wind was picking up as the three stood on the balcony, overlooking the city of Midgar below them. Aeris noticed Cloud shivering and took off her red jacket and gave it to him. He was about to refuse, but she told him, "You need it more than I do, and I won't have any use for it." He quickly wore it when she suddenly lurched forward as pain surged through her body, pushing itself to her back once again.  
  
"AERIS!" Tifa and Cloud cried, but she held her hand up for them to stay back. They watched, horrified at the excruciating pain their friend was going through, but it soon left them as a pair of illuminating white wings emerged from her back. Everyone was speechless and amazed as they witness the glorious transformation of the mysterious woman.  
  
The wings stretched out to their fullest as Aeris climbed to her feet, relieved of any pain she had before. It was a hassle to go through all that, but maybe it was worth. "Take my hand," she told the two, and they didn't hesitate to take it, "Hold on tight and jump!" They took a dive off the balcony, disappearing from the soldiers' view, who just snapped out of their trance.  
  
Hojo pushed his way through the men, hurrying out to the balcony to catch a glimpse of the winged woman soaring through the skies. His hand gripped the railing tightly, baring his knuckles white, as his frown deepened. He watched her obsessively, wanting to get his hands on her... such power he was craving.  
  
  
**~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~**  
  
  
It was originally supposed to be a one-shot, but it might end up in three parts now.  
  



End file.
